At the staff house in Luanda, Angola that is.
Left out Thursday morning and got into London on Friday morning. Got a hotel room - but it was just a day room - a place to leave my bags while I went wandering. Relaxed a minute and went over and got a tube pass and went to Central London. Didn't have anything in particular I wanted to do, so I just wandered around for a few hours. Went over and saw Buckingham Palace again. If I remember right, I think Britman said that the Queen's flag flew over the palace if she there, so since it was the Union Jack, I reckon she wasn't home Friday.
Went over and checked out the Wellington Arch and the memorial to the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in WWI.
I went over and walked around Picadilly Circus for a while and finally walked over to Covent Garden - this place I gotta spend more time at when I have time. Lots of neat pubs! It was lunch time, so I found Ponti's....Italian. Man, spinach stuffed pasta with 4 cheeses and home made lemonade sure sounded tastey! Hey, I consider this a road trip!
After walking around for another hour or so - just looking, it was time to tube it back to Heathrow and back to the room to relax a few hours and then off to the airport. Went to Huxley's again in terminal 5 and the special was Roast, so yepper, sounds good to me! It was the last time for 5 weeks that I knew that the meat came from a real cow. I didn't know what the bread bowl thing was on top, but
it sure was good to sop up the gravy with! I found out when I got here that it was Yorkshire pudding and that a lot of places fill it with gravy and / or meat. They said that the cook was just lazy to put it on top like that. It sure was good though. Topped off with a cappachino and a couple of Peroni's (Italian beer) and life is good!
Got here Saturday morning - yesterday - and that was the "good times". Then it was time for the "bad times". We have a local Angolan employee that has been going downhill for a couple of months with some desease. My back to back, Howard, and I got the driver to take us to the hospital - Hospital Militia. After 45 minutes of searching different wards, we found him in the very Infectious Desease ward. Man, the patients outside looked like holocaust victims, the patients had red x's stamped on them meaning they were infectious, the wheelchair had INFECTED painted on it and we were told that it would take 30 minutes to prepare him and the room and that we would have to wear gowns, gloves and masks to see him for a few minutes. Well, Howard and I felt that Africa is home to Ebola and desease that scientists haven't even figured out what they are yet - and some cause the villages and the dead to be burned - ever see the movie Outbreak?
Anyway, we decided to blow off the visit. Folks, worst place I have ever seen. The filth, the dirt and the smell (along with the sights). I have thought about that place all day today.
Well, anyway, I am here for the next 5 weeks - maybe 4 - I may have to go to Calgary for a school. Safe winds to everyone and see everyone soon! Post ride reports please so I can keep getting my fix!
